COVID-19 Update

WaPo: (letters to the editor)

Opinion: There is a way to reduce the severity of long covid

The Feb. 21 editorial concerning the risk and impact of long covid, “The next health crisis,” was informative. However, an obvious partial answer to the final sentence of the editorial is apparent. That sentence stated: “Research must find the causes and damage of long covid, and lay preparations to treat it in all its manifestations.”

Research has shown that there is a substantial reduction of long covid symptoms in vaccinated individuals. As reviewed in an article in Nature on Jan. 25, a study from Israel’s Bar-Ilan University found that “fully vaccinated participants who had also had COVID-19 were 54% less likely to report headaches, 64% less likely to report fatigue and 68% less likely to report muscle pain than were their unvaccinated counterparts.”

It also noted that patients who acquired a coronavirus infection and who were vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer vaccine were no more likely to report symptoms of long covid than people who were never infected.

Long covid is indeed a serious problem. One effective measure to reduce its impact is available: Get vaccinated, and get boosters as recommended.

Michael Schwartz, Chevy Chase